The Hunt For Planet B

A film by Nathaniel Kahn

The quest for another planet begins

The Hunt for Planet B captures the human drama behind NASA’s high-stakes Webb Telescope, due to launch in November 2021 – the most ambitious space observatory ever built through an international cooperation. The film interweaves the creation of this massive machine with the story of a pioneering group of female scientists on a quest to find life beyond our solar system. What begins as a real-time scientific adventure turns into a meditation on our place in the universe. On the brink of seeing farther out than ever before, we find ourselves looking back at our own imperiled planet with new eyes and imagining a future in the stars.

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Director

Nathaniel Kahn

Producer

Bonnie Hlinomaz and Nathaniel Kahn

Runtime

93 Minutes

Rights Represented

International Rights, Educational Rights, Sponsored Screening Licenses Available

Captions Available

English

Language

English

Press

“Intriguing… Impressive… The Hunt for Planet B is [a] human story. It reveals a world of thinkers, dreamers and doers that dare to imagine what’s out there on exoplanets…”

- Forbes

“[The] search for life is front and center in a new documentary film about the Webb telescope…”

- The New York Times

“The film features women from all parts of astronomy, from an engineer on the Webb to… Jill Tarter, chair emeritus of the SETI Institute… who was the inspiration for Jodie Foster’s character in the 1997 film Contact…”

- The Washington Post

“An impassioned and unabashedly intellectual documentary… Kahn’s documentary helps us stand back and remember just how essential science is to progress.”

- RogerEbert.com
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Festival & Awards

WINNER: EMMY AWARD, Best Science and Technology Documentary
Official Selection – SXSW Film Festival
WINNER: Golden Owl competition at Bergen International Film Festival

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Film Licensing

We distribute films globally but we only hold the rights in particular territories in some cases.

Letting us know what type of group you are will help us get you set up with the right type of license. If you do not fall squarely into one of these categories, select “individual” or contact us at [email protected].

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Here are some basic definitions to help! Please visit our FAQs for further information.

  • In-person screening: This license includes the public performance rights required to host a screening for your group and a DVD copy of the film
  • Virtual screening: A link and code that are available for a single 72 hour period
  • Streaming subscriptions: Ongoing streaming access for an institution provided by our partner, Film Platform.  Please note it takes 3-5 business days to get your streaming access set up.  Questions about your set-up – contact [email protected].
  • DVD for classroom use: This is a DVD with permission to share in a classroom only
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  • Option to receive registration information.

Includes Standard Setup Plus...

  • Custom screening page with your logo and event description
  • Option to add custom video introduction
  • Ability to add custom resources and ‘Calls to Action’
  • Access to participation and attendance analytics

Don’t worry, you can always change this date if needed but if you already have a screening or license activation date in mind, it will help expedite the process. Please note it takes 1 week to get a virtual screening room set up.

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The Hunt For Planet B

The quest for another planet begins

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